The Nature of Order: The Luminous Ground
Alexander addresses the cosmological implications of the theory he has presented. The book begins with a critique of current cosmological thinking, and its separation from personal feeling and value.
One of the keys things Alexander focuses on the is the idea of relatedness.
Alexander notes that places and artworks with intense life tend to be related to religious projects. He also notes that some early industrial sites can exhibit intense living structures, which is either interesting or deeply, deeply problematic. It’s an interesting set to think deeply on.
The industrial process of the early 20th century was an unfolding process in its straightforward directness. But the postindustrial processes of the late 2oth century have been contaminated by images, and no longer have the directness of real-world creation and unfolding needed to make life. (Pg. 82)